


Incremental

by melian225



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Challenge Response, Community: HPFT, M/M, Ron/Seamus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-08 01:43:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10375062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melian225/pseuds/melian225
Summary: Ron Weasley is feeling left out. Harry's obsessed with whatever Malfoy's doing and his meetings with Dumbledore. Hermione is seemingly always too busy studying. Just when he needs a friend, Seamus steps in. (Ron/Seamus)Written for Lovegood27's Random Pairings Challenge, and TreacleTart's Take It Seriously Challenge.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Random Pairings Challenge by Lovegood27 and the Take it Seriously Challenge by TreacleTart on the HFPT forums. I was assigned the Ron/Seamus ship and, as someone who tries to only write canon-compliant fics, it was certainly an interesting experience! My apologies to those who love the Ron/Hermione ship, because although I ship them myself, but I always seem to draw Ron in these challenge pieces and he's always paired with someone else, so it's indeed a challenge trying to make things fit. (For the record, this is also the first time I've attempted to write a same-sex relationship in any serious way.) Anyway, this is what I came up with, and I hope you enjoy it.  
> cheers Mel

Ron Weasley was grumpy.

It hadn’t been the best year, he knew. First there was the whole Lavender thing, and it had taken _forever_ to get rid of her. Then there was the fact he’d been poisoned on his birthday, after accidentally taking a love potion intended for Harry. That had been a while getting over. And now, he had a tearful Lavender pretending to avoid him but instead effectively following him around while Parvati made loud comments about what a bad boyfriend he’d been, and Hermione was being ridiculously superior about the whole thing. And he couldn’t even complain to Harry, because Harry spent most of his time talking about Malfoy these days.

“Malfoy, always bloody Malfoy,” he muttered to himself at the breakfast table one day, after Harry had once more taken out the Marauder’s Map and pored over it, looking for the name of the blond boy who was noticeable by his absence at the Slytherin table. “They’ll be announcing their engagement any day now.”

Seamus Finnigan, who was sitting next to him, laughed. “Can you imagine the wedding?” he asked, a wicked grin on his face. “Old Lucius Malfoy would have a fit and refuse to attend.”

Ron sniggered. “And Malfoy’s mum would look even more like she’s got something stuck up her bum. I’ve never seen anyone so uptight.”

“Well, wouldn’t you be, if you had Draco for a kid?” Seamus asked.

Ron sniggered again. He was enjoying the company. Hermione was long gone, staggering under a pile of Ancient Runes books, and Merlin only knew where Harry had got to. Probably hanging around outside the Room of Requirement, Ron thought scornfully. He was annoyed at how much time Harry was spending worrying about Malfoy, when they had a Quidditch Cup to win.

“Dean off with Ginny again?” Ron asked, noting the empty spot next to Seamus as he poured himself some more tea.

Seamus nodded. “I barely see him these days,” he said. “But then I guess that’s what happens when you’ve got someone like Ginny Weasley for a girlfriend.”

Ron rounded on him. “And just what is that supposed to mean?”

Seamus backtracked hurriedly. “Sorry, Ron, I didn’t mean …”

Giving up, Ron just sighed. “Don’t worry, I get it. It’s just … she’s my little sister, you know? I’m not all that comfortable about people thinking about her like that.”

Seamus nodded gravely, putting a hand on Ron’s shoulder. “Sorry, mate. I won’t say it again, I promise.”

Ron relaxed and had a sip of tea. Seamus’ hand was still on his shoulder and he found he quite liked it – soothing, comforting, rather than anything else. Frowning, he shook his head a little, not really sure what that was saying about him.

****

After that day, he seemed to bump into Seamus more than he used to. Perhaps it was because they had both been abandoned by their best friends – okay, Hermione hadn’t abandoned him, but she was always so busy with schoolwork that it seemed that way sometimes – and needed the companionship, he wasn’t sure. He appreciated the company, though.

“Harry still obsessed with Malfoy?” Seamus asked as they left Defence one day, flicking his gaze towards Harry’s rapidly departing form in the distance. Hermione had gone in the opposite direction, towards the library.

“Something like that,” Ron said. “Between that and the stuff with Dumbledore, I have no idea how he’s keeping on top of his schoolwork and Quidditch.”

Seamus looked puzzled. “Stuff with Dumbledore?”

Ron nodded. “Yeah, he’s having special lessons with him, looking into old memories or something like that. But it’s happening almost every week now. So that’s one night a week. Quidditch is another night, and he spends at least two nights hanging around after Malfoy – that only leaves a couple left for homework. If we hadn’t destroyed the time-turners at the Ministry last year, I’d think he’d nicked one of those.”

Seamus nodded sagely. “I heard about that,” he said. “You lot at the Ministry. Was it scary?”

Ron considered that as they headed upstairs towards the common room, ready to drop their bags off before dinner. “Yeah,” he said after a while. “It was. People got hurt, Sirius died …”

“Sirius Black?” Seamus looked at him sideways. “Did you know him?”

“Yeah, I did.” Ron nodded. “We all did. Mucked Harry up when he died, but we all felt it. He was a good bloke. A bit weird, but good.”

Seamus stopped walking and looked at him. “You’ve never talked about it, have you?”

“No.” The word was out of Ron’s mouth before he had time to think about it.

“Right.” Seamus started walking again. “Look, if you ever want to talk, I’m here, okay?”

Ron smiled at him. It was a small gesture and he wasn’t sure if Seamus meant it, but he appreciated it. He hadn’t realised it before, but no one had ever asked him how he had felt about that day. Sure, they’d all had sympathy, Harry more than most due to his connection with Sirius, but they’d all lost something that day. A friend, a godfather, their innocence. And having Seamus recognise that he might need to work through that was a welcome change.

****

Weeks passed, and Dean’s relationship with Ginny meant Seamus was more often than not available to talk to. Harry and Hermione, conversely, were not. It was after dinner in the common room one day that Ron realised that Seamus had become a part of his life, not just on the periphery as he had always been, but actually part of it. He was still part of Quidditch training, even though he wasn’t on the team – as a reserve it was a good idea to keep his skills up – and, even after Ginny and Dean broke up, which had seemed inevitable following their constant arguments, Ron still found himself walking to and from the pitch with Seamus.

“Can you believe Harry’s got a detention for this Saturday’s game?” Ron grumbled on the way back from the final training of the week.

Seamus shook his head. “Though, he did just about try to kill Malfoy. I guess he deserved it.”

“But why, though?” Ron was perplexed. “I know he says he didn’t mean to, but why would you use a spell that’s labelled ‘for enemies’ when you don’t know what it does? It’s one of the first things you learn – if you’re not sure what it’s supposed to do, steer clear of it.”

Seamus shook his head. “Remember, we both learnt that stuff growing up, but Harry didn’t. Do you think those Muggles he lives with would know to give him that sort of warning?”

“I guess.” Ron still wasn’t convinced. “It’s like Snape, though, to give him detention to make him miss the last game. We’re not even playing Slytherin!”

“Well, there is that.” Seamus grinned and elbowed Ron in the ribs. “Means I might have a go, though, right? With Harry out, Ginny will play as Seeker, so I can have the last Chaser’s spot!”

“So long as Dean and Ginny can get through the game without killing each other,” Ron said. “Honestly, they’ve been nightmares since they broke up. And if he says one more snide thing about my sister, I’m going to have a go at him myself.”

Seamus shot him a look. “Don’t do that,” he said. “Then you’ll be on detention on Saturday too.”

Ron moved his broomstick to the other shoulder. “It’s been nice, having you on the team,” he said after a pause. “Particularly with Harry off on his missions, or whatever they are. It feels a lot friendlier, somehow, with you there.”

****

The game that weekend was incredible. Even without Harry, even with Ginny and Dean at loggerheads, it seemed to go more smoothly than Ron would have believed possible.

“Can you believe it?” he yelled at no one in particular when Ginny soared overhead to catch the Snitch from Cho Chang’s frustrated reach. They had not just won, but won by enough to secure the Quidditch Cup. The party that night was going to be enormous.

“No!” Dean yelled back, the widest grin Ron had ever seen cracking his face in two.

Seamus’ face was so crinkled up in excitement he reminded Ron of a leprechaun – which, he reasoned, wasn’t all that surprising really. Ginny was still doing laps of the pitch above their heads, holding the Snitch in her raised fist and saluting the crowd. Demelza and Jimmy were doing loop-the-loops in delight below him. It felt almost like the perfect celebration.

Back in Gryffindor Tower, Ron couldn’t wait to share the day with Harry. He had no idea how much his friend had seen, locked up in detention as he was, but surely he would have to know the result by the time he was released? The cheers from the pitch must have reached him – mustn’t they? And his own game had been exemplary; he couldn’t wait to talk Harry through each save, describe how Ginny had snatched the Snitch from Cho, have him share in the excitement of the match.

Instead, though, Harry came through the portrait hole a good half hour after the party had started. He looked unsure at first, as though he didn’t know the result – and then smiled as the cheers reached his ears. Ron was about to get his attention when he saw Ginny, his own sister, rushing through the crowd to greet him – and then Harry, like Judas, went straight for her and kissed her.

Kissed Ginny. Right there, right in front of everyone. Ron couldn’t believe it. But even as he stared, gobsmacked, at the spectacle, he felt someone squeeze his hand gently.

Seamus.

“It’s okay,” he said.

Ron breathed out. He’d paid lip service to the idea of Harry and Ginny – after all, she’d had a crush on Harry her whole life, pretty much – but now it was in front of him, he wasn’t sure how he felt. But Seamus gave his hand another squeeze, and he felt inexplicably calmer. So much so, in fact, that when Harry looked over Ginny’s head to find him, to gauge his reaction, he was able to just nod as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

After Harry and Ginny had disappeared to Merlin only knew where, to do Merlin only knew what, Seamus kept hold of his hand. “It’s okay,” he said again in his strong Irish accent. “You knew that was going to happen eventually.”

Ron swallowed and nodded. He didn’t take his hand back; in fact, he felt more comfortable than he could explain just where he was.

“And, let’s face it, it could be worse,” Seamus went on.

Ron looked at him. “How’s that?”

Seamus grinned and flicked his gaze towards the window, where Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were haranguing Hermione over something. “He could have chosen one of them.”

Ron looked at Lavender, his ex, and Hermione, his choice, and couldn’t help but agree.

“Yeah, I guess. I’d rather he was with my sister than Lavender. Ugh.”

Seamus gave him a shrewd look, clearly noticing he hadn’t mentioned Hermione, but didn’t say anything. For this, Ron was grateful.

The party dwindled and people started going upstairs to bed. Neville and Dean didn’t last long after Harry’s appearance – Ron suspected Dean was still sore over Ginny, and that Neville had a hopeless crush. As members of the winning team other students kept plying Ron and Seamus with drinks, mostly butterbeer as no one knew how to sneak out to get anything stronger. Well, no one but Ron, Harry and Hermione, and none of them were sharing that information. Still, they were in a festive mood, so when they realised that the common room was pretty much deserted, aside from the occasional first year coming down to look for something they’d lost during the party, they just smiled.

“It’s been a good day,” Seamus said as he downed his final butterbeer.

“It has,” Ron agreed.

“And I’m not really ready for it to end yet,” Seamus went on.

Ron considered that. “No, I’m not either.”

They sat for a while, not moving. _I like this_ , Ron thought. _No stresses, no pressure, no wondering what Hermione’s thinking about me. Just me and Seamus._

He looked around. The fire was still crackling, but the room was otherwise empty.

_Just me and Seamus._ The words kept resonating through his head. _Just me and Seamus._

And, suddenly, he liked that idea. Liked the implications, the possibilities. Even though it was something he had never even considered before, just then it felt the most natural thing in the world.

_Just me and Seamus._

He looked at Seamus, and Seamus was looking at him. And without even thinking, without considering what it might mean, he did what felt right. He leaned over and kissed him.

And Seamus kissed him back.

 


End file.
